For a former co-worker and a friend of Leron Magilner, the man police say was committing in cancer fraud, it was a surreal experience to find out the person they once called friend was lying to them.

“I find new stuff everyday. It’s incredible,” said Cortney McGowan about what she discovered about Magilner. McGowan was Magilner’s manager at the Wooden Indian Smoke shop and who was granted power of attorney for him.

McGowan, who had known Magilner for two years, said that he was helpful and friendly when he was working at the Havertown tobacco store on Eagle Road. But when Magilner recovered from testicular cancer, which according to McGowan was real, but claimed he was dying of pancreatic cancer, she became suspicious…..

Her instincts may have proved right, when the Haverford Township Police stated they discovered forged medical records that Magilner allegedly used to show people that he had cancer.

But the final straw for McGowan was when Magilner was taken to the Delaware County Memorial Hospital after a fall last month. Police and McGowan, who was at the hospital with the accused, said that Magilner allegedly refused any tests for his cancer.

“When I told the doctor that (Magilner) had stage 4 pancreatic cancer, he looked at me like I had seven heads,” McGowan said, adding that the doctor did not believe Magilner was a cancer patient.

McGowan also stated that Magilner allegedly kept telling the doctor the wrong medications he was allegedly on.

Once Magilner left the hospital and went home, McGowan said that she made him have his cancer doctor call her and confirm that Magilner had cancer.

“He called me up with a fake Chinese accent,” McGowan claimed, saying that Magilner pretended to be his cancer doctor. “I pretended to lose (phone) service so I wouldn’t freak him out. I didn’t want him to off himself.”

That is when she contacted police she said.

You know what? While this Leron Magilner was having benefits thrown for him to pay his rent, I was figuring out ways to work to pay my own damn rent and bills while people were worrying because I looked like death warmed over I was so exhausted. ( And that fatigue, P.S., still continues for me. )

I am just full of the cheery today, ain’t I? Sorry. It’s just the news du jour. Current events and all that.

I will have a brief break before the march of the co-pays starts again. Poor oncologist is so nice. But I am still having reservations about Tamoxifen. But then again, the alternative is distinctly unpleasant.

Tomorrow I am a week out of radiation. I am still getting the waves of tired for lack of a better description, but my skin is starting to heal.

3 Responses to simply despicable: cancer scambooger

Having worked with him.he pretended to be a very sick at the Philadelphia school district and was quite the asshole to work with.and also after the audit we did found how much stuff he stole this doesn’t shock me at all

Leron was my friend for many years. He had a lot of problems, none of which excuse what he did. In the end, he died of cancer in a nursing home, nearly friendless, less than a month after his 36th birthday.